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Hi!
Lots of good stuff here to chew on!!>>The first attempt is broken into several parts because I kept having to stop because she was just so wound up. >>
Stopping to fix errors or resend her are something she can tolerate a little… but when it happens more than once or twice, then the frustration builds and builds when the cues are not clear. I thought her discussion points were valid here 😁 and we can definitely consider it feedback from her in the moment. I *highly* recommend that you don’t stop and fix or resend. Just keep going on the course! That will keep you both in the flow and also really reduce frustration. If she misses a jump? Keep going. If she hits a bar? Keep going. And in both keep going moments, add more connection and support on the lines.
And if you are getting a lot of feedback in terms of barking or errors, or the same error more than once: stop and watch the video before the next run.
>>my goal was not necessarily to mark the bar coming down but rather to try to bring her back down mentally.
I have not found it effective to balance arousal by stopping the dog… usually it increases arousal because they are frustrated.
For example, at :55 there was a miscommunication, she didn’t take off well and really hit the bar. You reacted and put her into a down stay – that is likely to be perceived as a punishment to the dog and no one relaxes into a happy state after being told they were wrong LOL
>>If she starts taking off miles before she should, it often leads to more of that if we keep running when she’s in this arousal state.>>
One early takeoff is a cue to us handlers to connect more and stay closer to the line 🙂 It is not a mental state issue, it is a clarity of info and processing issue. The info has to be really clear at top speed, so there is time to process it.
>>She seemed extra barky and unfocused. When she screams at me constantly, it makes it difficult for me to focus on good mechanics and all the pieces of what I’m supposed to do (throw the reward far away, keep my arm back, decel, don’t decel, etc.).>>
You can translate her barking as “More info needed please!” or as “Stop and watch the video, human! Her barking here was happening when things were not clear or she was frustrated (which is linked to lack of clarity). I think the barking is important feedback, so if you hear her barking, you can ramp up your connection, get closer to the lines, etc, to give her better info.
Think of it not as working your mechanics… think of it as working the dog! If you are thinking about what you are supposed to do, you risk not handling the dog by looking at her or getting her feedback in the moment.
Looking at the sections of the course:
She is focusing ahead on jump 1 really nicely!! Super!!!
After the cross 2-3, this is an example of handle the dog and not the course or mechanics. She had a bar at :09 (jump 2) and 1:39 (jump 3) and tick it at 3:44 because you are exiting the cross with your shoulders forward, indicating the line ahead. But she is behind you – so the closed shoulders break connection especially with the other obstacles out there. Remember to exit all crosses with your dog-side arm back to her nose and eye on her eyes: handle the dog behind you, not the line ahead of you 🙂 That will also help set the layering line up around the tunnel!
She didn’t drop bars on the 3rd run, you stayed a little closer and also she had seen the line a couple of times already so she knew what to expect without needing as much handling support.
Good job continuing at 3:50 when she came off of the layering line – your shoulders and line turned so she had a question about the line there.
>>I watched the video multiple times and then later that night it dawned on me that it wasn’t a backside for her, and that’s the verbal I kept giving her.>>
I think it was a backside on her line, and the motion was more of the question not the verbal:
At :17 and 1:49 and 2:56 for jump 8 you stopped moving and turned as she was exiting 7, so she came off the line to the 8. After the first error, you can watch the video to see why she is doing that and adjust to keep moving forward til she commits. Video watching between runs is so helpful, so you don’t have the same error multiple times which frustrates her (and you too, probably!)
In that moment though, where she came off of 8 (and moments like it): keep going! Onwards. To 9 and 10! Stopping and resending as it creates more errors and frustration (and barking 😂🤣) At 1:52 she was having a BIG MAD because you were stopped and resending from an odd angle. I believe she was saying “TRACY SAID NO FIXING, JUST KEEP GOING!”
The fix there turned 1 error into 5 errors and then she didn’t get rewarded for going to it… All of that builds up her frustration a lot. And the fix at 2:56 caused a dropped bar.
>>I finally realized that “jump” or “out” would suffice and she took it without a problem. >>
You kept moving at 3:52 and she stayed on the line 😁 Motion to support the line is really helpful!
The 9 tunnel to the 10 jump went well!
There was some confusion on jump 11 – it is a front side, I think you were trying to get the other side at :30 an 2:03 and 3:08? Hard to tell but something was pulling her off there (although 3:08 was clearly a threadle cue – the threadle slice to the right would be an easier line if it was a backside there)
Yes, she needed help staying in the weaves with the other jump as the layer (probably lack of practice like you mentioned), so moving in on the next rep was very helpful. Yay! You can practice the layering by moving the jump in closer so your motion can support the weaves more (and throw a reward at the end of the poles)
The cross on takeoff side of 13 after the weaves is great, but remember to connect to help with commitment: at :47 you pointed an arm but never connected. Don’t leave that jump til she cues you to leave by looking at the jump. (Don’t fix there either, just keep going if she misses the jump :))
Compare to 2:14 and 3:17 where you let her see the jump before you moved away and it worked really nicely!
You did the blind at 4:29 and didn’t connect after it… she got the jump but that was because she knew the sequence 🙂 So remember to get that connection on the exit, handle the dog not the line 🙂She had a lot of trouble with the jump on 15. I think more decel and a brake arm will get the collection – you were saying right but powering forward and not turning until after she made a takeoff decision, so she did not really know how to sort out the jumping at :15 and 1:05.
At 1:20 you added decel but also put a lot of pressure into the jump so she stopped in front of it before taking off.
You moved forward better at 2:20 and 3:23 with decel and that helped too. She was looking up at you because you were moving away as you were decelerating, so it was a little unclear if she should proceed forward or not there.
4:33 was the most forward to the jump in terms of cues, and it was also her best commitment there! Nice!!!!
On the closing line at 1:26 and 2:27 – you turned away from 18 so she was not sure if you wanted her to take it or not (keep going there too – no more stopping, she was reading you correctly 🙂 )
That 18 jump is a good place to keep facing the jump and the line until she cues you that you can leave, but lifting her feet for takeoff. You were much clearer at 3:29 and the last rep, and she got it really well!
On the ending line – stay connected and don’t reach for the toy – the disconnect and toy reach drew her attention off the line . The toy in your hand as you run will help you have it ready for the long throws at the end.
Let me know what you think! The parts where you were handling her and very connected were really great! And I think we can get the frustration levels (and barking!) to diminish by staying in the flow of the course rather than starting and fixing.
Nice work!
Tracy
Hi!
>>We went away for a day’s seminar on distance and layering and she did great! >>
That is awesome! I bet it was really fun!
Looking at the video:
Seq 3 : The opening line went smoother (bar stayed up at 2) when you moved a little more and a little sooner, tarting as he was taking 1, That set the line better!
Overall it looked really good and she only had a question on the bar at 5 (it dropped both times you were going to the tunnel). I am not sure why that happened. The siren call of the tunnel causing her to rush the jumping? Jumping from the sunlight into the shadows? I thought your connection looked strong through and you were not doing anything crazy with motion or verbals, so it was probably jumping from light into shadow.She kept that bar up when you added the blind cross on the 3rd rep! The collection cue on 3 worked really well on that run, and the blind looked really good at :33!!! You can start it even sooner, even if you are not in perfect position – when she land from 4, you can start the side change as you continue to move to the takeoff side of 6. That way, the re-connection on the new side can be sooner (that will allow her to see the next bar sooner and not tick it).
Seq 4: nice stay at jump 1! She doesn’t really turn her head to stare at the jump but she does seem to acknowledge it and jumps it cleanly!
I think she needs more info for 2: the first time, she had the correct side but the bar was down. That slice jumping is hard for her! Turning sooner (as she exits 1 so she can take off for 2 already turned) and maintaining connection will help. Connection was great but you didn’t really turn til she was taking off for 2.
On the 2nd run, she took the backside and had the bar down. You peeled away and disconnected so she ended up on your other side.In both cases, more verbals can help: you can release with a collection verbal for jump 1, and then a front side verbal (like a left or soft turn verbal) for jump 2. That can help support the line a lot.
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hi!
>>We will try to take it easy on you.
Ha! I am up for the challenge LOL!!!
He is doing well with the lazy game – Yay! He had a really high success rate, so I don’t think you were being greedy to go for 3! The learning can get dull quickly if the dog has figured out the ‘puzzle’ and yet we keep asking for the same old thing LOL!
To get rid of the middle-offering, just keep moving. It can be slow moving, shuffling along, and earlier cookie throws.
When you were moving, he looked for the jumps. The middles only started when you were stationary and kinda facing the jump, which is exactly the context he might expect a middle cue.Since this went so well, you can add in more distance between the jumps! And mix up how many before you reward: sometimes 1, sometimes 3, sometimes 2, etc. The variability will keep things spicy!
Great job 🙂
Tracy
Welcome back! Happy birthday to Lift!!!!
The training is going well here, although I think maybe I should come to Scotland to further discuss this LOL!!!!!
I think the biggest first step here is the dogs learning to find the treat, eat it fast, and keep going. The chewy treats delayed that a little then she kinda forgot what she was doing for a moment at first. That caused her to sometimes go past the middle jump but that will go away when you add a little more room, and when you reward for the 2nd jump (instead of the first jump)
She figured it out really quickly – note how she started going faster and faster, both in terms of treat finding/eating and going to the jumps. Yay Lift!
So for the next session if it is before Scotland, you can add a little more distance and mix in rewarding after 2 sometimes instead of after 1. If the next session doesn’t happen til after the trip (life might be a little busy between now and tomorrow morning!) then start as you were here for a couple of reps to refresh the skill, then add the distance and add in rewarding for 2.
Great job!! Have a blast in Scotland if you don’t have a chance to do more before you leave!
Tracy
Good morning! The video looks great!
>>on video I think in posting guidelines it says to post -first 2 -last 2 -2 at the middle>>
The lazy game is more of a training game (not as much of a sequence) so you can let the camera roll for 2 or 3 minutes of the session and then post it (no editing needed:) )
The lazy game is looking great! You were perfectly lazy LOL and he really didn’t need much help to find the line. He did look at you a tiny bit when you expanded the distances and you turned pretty early – he was not sure if you wanted the middle jump or not, so you can wander out towards it a little more 🙂 But stay lazy for now 🙂
But overall his commitment looking really strong! You can mix in randomizing the rewards: sometimes reward for the first jump, sometimes after all 3, sometimes after the 2nd one, etc.
>>I just LOVE this game LOL because *I* don’t have to move much!>>
Me too! And it really helps commitment blossom especially when we handlers are not perfect in our motion or connection!
>>our weather… ugh HOT. And he is ‘melting’ when it’s just 70 but full sun. So we can’t get to Agility field; and space you see on this video, is ‘all’ space I have at home. (at home we can do late evenings and also he goes in and out of the pool so he is ‘nice and WET’ >
You can expand it to a 2 jump game and add more distance like that, until you can get cooler weather on the agility field!

>>One-Step Sends and Exit Line Connection
so for this game, would it make much difference if we do 1-2 reps with tunnel and rest using wing instead?>>Ah yes, good point – tunnels for a Dane are basically like army crawl workouts so totally yes – do a rep or two with the tunnel then switch to a wing or barrel to replace it. To give it a tunnel-like feel, you can do 2 wings: one where the entry would be and one where the exit would be. That will better simulate the timing and will also let him have more speed.
>>Plank Confidence 1 he will NOT be doing dog-walk, I know he CAN but I know the risk of mis-step and him falling is too big. So we won’t be running STD – we still can do JWW, T2B and Fast. with that, do we need this game? Or it’s mainly for dog-walk?>>
Also a super good point!!! You can still do this game though – it helps him learn about balance and where his feet are, which will be useful for the a-frame and teeter too. You can keep the plank low, and since he is big you can put two planks side-by-side to create one wide plank, or use a flat a-frame. It also teaches him about different textures and surfaces, so I think you will still find it useful.
>>The Mountain Climber hehe

I don’t think it’s for us>>HA! Yes, another good point. I mean, you don’t want to lift him off the end LOL!!!! But we can modify and still get him to NOT slow down.
Do you have agility tables? With the large breeds, we do a lot of table-to-table games to get them driving across the teeter more and not stopping in the middle, and also to add the handling that we normally do with smaller dogs on the mountain climber games. That way he gets all of the same learning and confidence boosting, but without any potential risk. We can also modify the other teeter games to help him out too!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Hello and welcome back!!! 15 months old already… perfect age to really start putting things together in agility and in flyball. HOORAY!!!
Yes to early morning starts 🙂 But also, we have a lot of daylight the time of year so I have found that 8:30pm is actually lovely! I just feed dinner to the dogs after training 🙂
Have fun!
TracyGood morning!
I hope you are feeling much better and fully recovered from covid!
>>still had treats that were taking to long to eat >>
I think that is what caused some of the questions: treats that needed to be crunched crunched chewed crunched then by the time she swallowed it… the chain of though was broken and you were stationary.
>>We did get into some legit starting contests. I was not sure what I was doing wrong in those.>>
This happened after the duration chewing 🤣 Looking at the staring contests – it looked to me like a question on if it was a stay or not. Like at :38 – :44, you were stationary when she finished chewing, she was lined up in front of a jump… she probably assumed she had missed a stay cue and that you were doing a lead out. It is the exact picture of a lead out.
Same thing happened at :53 and 1:02. This did not happen when you were still moving or when the treat was easier to eat.So simple fix: treats that are visible and easy to swallow, no chewing required. I use small pieces of cold string cheese (cold o they don’t get melty and stick to my hands). Highly visible, highly motivating, highly slurpable. No chewing required 🙂
And if she takes a moment to find the treat or eat it? Just keep slowly moving rather than stopping, so she doesn’t mistake it for a stay cue. You can spread the jumps out a little so you have more room to move – that should be no problem for her because her commitment looks strong!
Great job!
TracyHi!
>>I think most of this was because while I was setting this up she was playing out in the pasture so she was hot and tired. >>
Yes, with the heat it is probably better to save the play outside til after the agility. She looked a little hot here for sure!
>>She has a good start line but she comes off flat when I ask for it especially in a trial. >>
The stay does look great! I think adding more forward focus, where she looks at the first jump on cue before the release, then getting rewarded for it, will help a lot! Start it with a low bar so it is easy and fun, then work it back up to full height. Forward focus can build a lot of excitement and anticipation, which builds speed and motivation.
On the sequence: she read the 1-2 line really well, but I do think the forward focus games will help get more speed.
The spin on 3 was very late at :08 and :50 so she landed hard. To do a spin there, start decelerating into the FC part of it when she lands from 2, then as she is approaching takeoff to 3 you can finish the full spin.
The RC on 5 works but you can blind too on landing of 4 to get even more speed!
And cue the tunnel rather than just assume she will do it – you asked her why she was missing it and she said it was because you ran away and never cued it🤣😂🤣 You cued it at the end and she took it perfectly!
She didn’t get rewarded there when she didn’t take the tunnel and she definitely should have – there was no clear cue for the line (verbal or connection) so she didn’t know what to do… withholding reward implies that it was her error (it was not) and that can draw off motivation.
You did a FC 2-3 and RC on 3 on the last rep – I think the dog-on-left to the spin makes more sense on the line and puts you in a better position for the turn on 5.
2nd video:
>>We also can’t layer for beans. I’m not sure how to train that.>>
To set up the layering, you can run closer to 2 so as she is approaching 3, you are not that far ahead and also accelerating as you cue the tunnel.
On your first rep, the send to the tunnel :11 had a big decel so she was not sure if she should follow the verbal or the motion. The rep at :39 had more motion to suppprt the verbal, and that helped her commit really well. And so did 1:02! Yay!
Motion is the key to layering, so setting things up so you can be moving will help a lot. Also, though, doing sends without motion on the verbal only (especially to the tunnel) will really help!
And, throwing rewards way out on the line and super far from you also really helps set up independence on the layering skills too.
When something goes wrong, I want you to keep going, make something else up if you need to, then reward her. Chances are super strong that she is reading your cues correctly, so it will dampen her motivation if you don’t keep moving or reward her.
At the end you did seq 1 again – the spin at 1:38 started when she was in the air, so she hit the bar trying to adjust. Remember that it should be finished before she takes off, so as she lands from 2 you can be decelerating to begin it as you commit her to 3.
Nice job with the tunnel cue at the end!! She took it with no problem.
Nice work! Stay cool!
Tracy
Good morning!
>>Opening was really tough for us; she kept heading from 1 to 6.>>
You didn’t show much of that, only one spot where she was really looking at 6 and it was because you gave a big step to the backside (2:57) which actually propelled her to 6 a bit.
I liked 2 as a slice better (you did a wrap on the first rep) – definitely faster! She needed a moment to solidify her commitment as you ran through 2 to the blind – you can look at the landing spot as you fly through there like you did at :54, and when she looks at the jump you can add the blind. That skill will keep getting stronger and stronger.
The more you reward finding 1 with you in those different positions, the easier it will be! It would be fun to eventually be on the takeoff side (threadle side) of 2!
Her Teeter looks great, keep rewarding it! Layering the jump looked good there too! She was starting to self-release the teeter on the 2nd video, so reward those a LOT in course work or she will start to anticipate the release.
After the teeter, the threadle at 6-7 was challenging. You need a turn cue that is stronger and earlier for 6, so she is already turning to her right towards you for the threadle. Also, on the threadle slice, you are leaning forward with your hands down and forward… I think that actually propels her to the front side of the jump. It might be clearer to be upright with the threadle arm back, upper body rotated towards her. You can also walk through it for a bit, so she can read the cues without having to sort through the excitement of motion (motion muddies the water for sure!)
The line at 10-11 will be a lot easier if you add in the 8 jump 🙂 You did 6-7-9-10 which makes it a whole lot harder for the handler 🙂 You are not the only one to do it without 8 though LOL!! I will be looking to see why people didn’t see it. The goal of 8 was so the handler can go to 8, get the turn 9-10-11, then be miles ahead for 12 and so on.
Tunnel instead of DW is clever! And FUN! I think the distances were too massive though, that blue tunnel was sooooo far that it made getting the jump after it too hard for you both (and she took the weaves at the end, probably too many reps through there so she was starting to offer different behavior. Regardless of the distances though, the big GO cues before she entered the 12 tunnel were very effective to get her to go go go 🙂
Her weaves look good – you can see if she will finish them without you, and you can then use a lower and more obvious arm to flip her away to the tunnel without you also having to go to the end of the weaves.
>>my timing was all over the place for 18, 19.>>
Part of that is she doesn’t anticipate 2 threadle wraps in a row (lack of experience that such a thing exists) and also the timing on the 2nd one was late (you would need to start it as she exits the wing of the previous jump) or you stepped in towards the front side of the jump before she passed you.
The other thing was that the line didn’t make as much sense with 2 wraps as it would with slices there 🙂 I think 18 should be a threadle slice (towards the teeter) which sets up 19 as a slice backside push, which gets a better line to 20.
2nd video:
Leading out to 2 and not really giving a big step worked well – she was able to find 1 (yay!) and didn’t seem to consider 6. Nice!!She was correct at :17 to take the front of 7. Your position on the FC at 6 was pretty far across the bar and showing that line, and then you didn’t push her to the backside. Stopping and resending her implies that she was incorrect (she was not) and also takes you out of learning to handle her in flow and adjust after an error. So……. No stopping! Keep going!!! It is better for you both 🙂
Same at :45… the cue for the 2nd threadle wrap was unclear (you stepped into her line for the front of the jump at :44 before she passed you, so she took the front) – note how she slowed down there, waiting for more info when you reset her line. We don’t want the slowing down (and doing it as a reset doesn’t help the timing challenge that caused the wrong side of the jump) so just keep going.
It won’t damage her understanding of verbals (I know people who say that if we don’t stop, then we are damaging the verbals but I completely disagree!) When verbals and physical cues conflict, she has to choose one or the other but resetting or stopping without reward can damage her confidence and create frustration. So…. No stopping, keep going 🙂 Ideally you keep going, reward, watch the video… then try again.
The middle section looked good tunnel-tunnel-jump-weaves! You got up the line well, and I think she cemented the concept and was able to execute it really well!
Nice work here! Let me know what you think!
Tracy
Good morning!
>>I think we’re just going to really double down on jump mechanics, strength training and handler distraction proofing. >>
That will be super beneficial!
>>As I’ve worked toward more getting ahead there are times I send him and rush away and I do think he finds that distracting. I think both him being able to handle that more and me trying not to do it too abruptly will be good as well as just getting him a little stronger.>>
And also, show him that as part of the distraction proofing. I do that very specifically: I know what my weaknesses are as a handler (so many to choose from! LOL!) so I take each weakness and show it to the dog in a grid or on one jump, and reward LOTS of not touching the bar. It can be stuff like “I might yell TUNNEL over the bar” or “I might send you and disconnect like a crazy person and rush away”. Those little proofing moments help the dogs a LOT to clarify what they need to do with the jumping.
And with a one jump game (I put a lot of arousal into it so I can elicit some jumping errors :)) or a grid, I am able to give fast, clear feedback if a bar falls – that is also super useful!
>>1. We do some jump grids – could do more. I also have added less of the sterile type with more movement and varying cues and intensity of verbals. >>
Perfect! Targeting the grids to what you need can mean you don’t need to do more, but you are more effective because training time is limited.
>> We do our own little workout for rear/core strength. I don’t think I’ve been doing it as consistently as I should be so we’re working on trying to do 2 short sessions a day. I call them “Bed Burpees”. We use his cato plan for a good start position then either do sit on board to paws up on bed, sit on board to hand touch a little higher and more explosive over the bed, sit to hop up on the bed from various distances. >>
Fun! I think rotating them to do burpees every couple of days and something else targeting different areas on different days will be more complete. I have a little circuit set up that I put the dogs through every 2 or 3 days and that is fun too 🙂
One thing that my dogs found HARD but useful with the burpee stuff is going from the sit on the plank to a hop forward to a disc… then hop back to the sit on the plank. Rear feet never moving…. SO HARD! Push forward? Easy. Pull back into the sit? OMG!
About stopping for bars – I am fine with it if we can nail the timing, as in I can see the error that caused the bar down and mark it and stop. And it falls into the 2 failure rule… if I am stopping the dog more than twice in the session, or stopping the dog twice in every session, then the dog can get frustrated and we get unwanted behaviors.
>> they are the tail bump or tail wrap type I’m not sure he’s always totally aware of them (the late bar drops especially).>>
He might not care because he might not be aware that it happened 🙂 That tail! LOL!
>>including some nice side to side exercises and using some unstable surfaces. >>
That sounds great!
>I just need to be more consistent.>
Totally relatable!!!! Same here.
>while we’re doing all the jump mechanics, strength and running contacts work I’m trying not to overdue coursework (plus the freaking heat) so we’ll likely do more of the short sequences even though I’ve got a good amount of space.>>
I have this same struggle! I have gone to scheduling it on the calendar LOL that has helped and also reduces the stress of trying to get everything done. It is like making dates with the dog(s) LOL!
The sequences are looking really good!!
Seq 3: He is reading the opening line really well, so now it is a matter of subtleties… I don’t think you needed a turn cue on 2 at :04 – he collected then had to go back out to find the backside (I think there was a bar tick when that happened). That first rep is generally the most helpful in terms of what the dogs need before they learn the sequence 🙂 Your turn cue was pretty strong, so I think a softer turn cue can get less turn which should set up the line perfectly. Something like a moving brake arm can be the right balance – more on that coming tonight in the live class!!
He collected there too on the other reps as well but didn’t consider coming into the gap – he put himself back into extension to the backside/3 jump and we don’t want to dilute the collection by pairing it with extension after.
From the handler perspective, being stationary for the collection on 2 made the turn cues on 3 later, so he was wider, which set up ticks/bar down on the 4 jump (:31)
You stopped and reset the bar there, which is fine. It looked like a combo of the line being a little off on the 3-4-5 moment and you getting way ahead, so he just didn’t quite get the mechanics there.
To reset and be able to reward the bar, try to ask the same question by starting further back in the sequence (or the beginning on something short like this) – that way you are showing him the same/similar question so he can learn more about the mechanics. Having him jump it on one jump from an easier angle/less motion doesn’t ask the same question (from you both) about what led to the bar down, so you can just go back into the sequence rather than send him over it in isolation. If you can re-create what caused it on one jump, then sending him over it is fine. In this case, it was very different looking (you were walking and behind, rather than running and ahead, plus his angle was different and there was less speed coming into it) . Starting from the beginning of the sequence will be more effective in the jump education (or a couple of jumps back if you are working a bigger course).When you repeated the sequence at 1:21 – 1:26 the handling was more connected and you didn’t get as far ahead so his mechanics were lovely!
Adding the different ending at 2:01 (crossing 5-6) – you got a bark on the FC at 3 as he was landing. Because you were going for the cross, you were lateral from the line and not moving as much, so he was looking at you and asking what’s next 🙂
Strategically, it would be fun to see if being further from 1-2 and closer to 3 can set that opening line and turn better (you can be more on the correct line and not as far laterally from it), and set the send to 4 sooner so you can drive into the 5-6 cross sooner too.
You got a bark on the FC 5-6 too – as you finished the FC, you were backing up towards the tunnel so he had a question on the line: upper body said jump, motion said tunnel (2:01). Keep moving forward, very close to the jump, and he will not feel the need to discuss with you 🙂 The same will be good when you do the BC there (2:43) – run forward directly to the jump rather than rock back towards the tunnel. He is reading the crosses really well! And going directly to the jump will give you more time to put a turn cue on 6 (when he lands from 5). Those cues were happening at takeoff for 6.
The German turn option at 2:25 was great! He was a tiny bit wide on 5 – you can play with using a a turn cue for 5 (star tined after landing of 4, something soft like a left or his name) and less of a push cue before takeoff – the psh tends to propel the dogs and he didn’t seem to need that here. You can also do a flip away instead of the BC exit and layer the jump as you drive to the final jump. The choice of which is better (German or flip away) will depend on what is next on course, but it is great to have different options in your toolbox! He was great about NOT looking at the off course tunnel!!!!!!!
Great job here! Let me know what you think!
TracyGood morning!!
>>The cues I have are right, left, lalala (take jump and wrap left), 2 2 2 (take jump and wrap right), GoOn or go, around (backside), out tunnel (take side away from me), pull-it tunnel (cross in front of me to take tunnel), easy (slow down for weave entry), target (stop 2-on at end of dog walk and teeter.>>
This is a great set of verbals! I am going to try to convince you to add a backside wrap verbal. Around is great for the backside slices (which are roughly enter on one wing, exit on the other wing) and because he is big and fast, a backside wrap verbal that is different will really help too. The backside wrap is a very different behavior (so much collection) so a different verbal will help him set it up even when your handling can’t always be there.
Do you have threadle verbal(s) too?
On the first video:
He was leaning towards 1 in the stay but looking at you. You can wait in your lead out spot for a little longer and cue him to look at the jump (I slowly put my arm up and point at it) then release when he looks at it. Getting him to look at it and look at the line will help with the jumping! The sideways jumping on 1 and 2 for those slices is hard and on this opening, he ran fast and hard… but didn’t get his mechanics coordinated so hit bar #2.We are all having a special guest to give us some ideas specifically for this type of jumping! It will be on July 3rd and will all be recorded 🙂
When he exits the tunnel, you can start saying his ‘jump right’ cues as soon as you see his nose exit. You can probably just use your ‘right’ cue and don’t need to use the ‘jump’ verbal at all.
On the opening of the 2nd video:
Yes, you accidentally cued the left turn on 2 as you pulled him toward you then sent him away, totally looked like a flip away cue (the upper body pointed to the left turn wing and your motion leaned back a little, so he turned left). He jumped that nicely!!
When that happens (because we sometimes turn the dog the wrong way), try to keep going so you get used to recovering from bobbles and can still run clean 🙂
The handling of 1-2 on the 2nd and 3rd run was much clearer: you were clearer in handling it as a serp line and he read it beautifully. Yay!
You can add decel into the around on 3 to get a little more collection: as he exits 2 and before he passes you, slow down a bit to help him set up a turn stride. And good job staying in motion when he ended up on the other side of you! He dropped the bar at 1:01 of jump 3 because you were accelerated then did the FC just before he took off – he was surprised and had to adjust in the air.
He had a little trouble sorting out his stride at :42 on jump 5 when you started cuing the tunnel. You were a little quiet before that and you had looked forward, so I think he was surprised and his feet went everywhere for a moment. He kept the bar up (good boy!) but you can definitely show him sudden accelerations on these types of lines, so he gets experience maintaining his jump mechanics while also going fast 🙂 He was MUCH better at 1:05 in terms of jumping style 🙂 Your cues were sooner and he sorted it out really well!
Great job here!
TracyGood morning!
On the first video:
>>I just told him to wait, he chose to sit. >>
He was also very keen to play!
The first video look like a fun session even though there were a couple of bloopers at the beginning!
>>He wasn’t sure what to do with just a Wait in this context, don’t think I’ve ever done it in agility anyplace but in RDW training with him on the DW or plank. The “I sit in front of a jump” behavior is strong. Also, the release from my “wait” isn’t nearly as clean as when I cue either a sit or down.>>
He figured it out at the beginning as “something with not moving and staying here” 🙂 He did move forward a tiny bit before the release, but that might be part of the release needed to be clarified:
Might be that the looking back at him is paired into the release: you look then release within a heartbeat. That is what happened at :29 (you looked back then released almost immediately) So he might have been anticipating the rhythm of the release. But again, he was keen to go and didn’t look worried about anything.
With the handling:
You had a little tooo much decel at 2, and he saw acceleration as he was jumping it but hadn’t yet turned… and the weaves were indeed right on his line 🙂 a wrap verbal will help there too!
When you put it all together, you were both great! Your cues and connection were super clear. He found the line with no problem and his acceleration to the tunnel was awesome!!!
You can add more lateral distance on this one too – can you be closer to 3 to handle that turn, then send to 4 and 5 so you are way ahead on the tunnel layering? Fun!
On the 2nd video: The forward focus is going well!
>>He chose to stand at least once, maybe twice>>
Yes, he is anticipating the rhythm of release after you get into position 🙂 So be a little less predictable with that rhythm! You can get to position, praise, cue the forward focus, throw a reward back, etc, so he is not expecting that the release comes within a second of you getting into position. We humans are very rhythmic and dogs are brilliant figuring us out.
He was definite figuring out the looking at the jump! Yay! You can also sometimes throw a treat to him after the forward focus, so he doesn’t look at the jump and release before the verbal release. That will help him understand that the release and the forward focus are not paired.
>>I’m pretty sure for me that interrupting doesn’t involve swearing and stopping does!>>
Maybe add swearing to everything, then? HA! Just kidding 🙂
Great job here!!
Tracy
Hi!
>>on the teeter game arent you concerned the pups might dive off>>
The game is built up carefully with a lot of help from us, and there is food on a target at the top that they are shown first 🙂 The video has the progression.
>>On the lazy game am sure In Synch will take first jump but likely to go zoomies before second or very wide and miss – she is not super great on food (working on it) do I just have patience>>
It is indeed an important skill and it is *not* about going fast. Do one jump at a time, with one reward for each jump. Maybe put the treat in a lotus ball or something very visible that she will want to grab and eat?
Tracy
